It Started With a Taxi Cab
by baltimorejones
Summary: Lia Bruno has never had a good relationship with her father, Jack. When her mother decides she needs to spend some quality time with him she ends up stuck in a cab with him and two abnormal teenagers with a load of cash and some unruly powers.


A/N: This is my first story for Race to Witch Mountain and I really hope you guys enjoy it. This chapter is just a rough draft I will go back later and edit it out so if you see any grammatical errors, don't worry I know that some are there. Please give me some feed back on the story and more importantly Lia's character. She may seem like a bitch in this first chapter but it _is_ only the first chapter. I hope you guys will warm up to her eventually. Again please review and I hope you enjoy! Eventual Seth/OC by the way.

Fixing the title and Summary once I establish the story.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, setting, or plot, for Race to Witch Mountain. **

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Growing up away from my father had created some unresolved tension between the two of us. While he tried his hardest to try to reconnect with phone calls, birthday cards, and the occasional visit, I was reluctant to reach back and accept it all. My parents had me at a young age and separated not long after I came into the picture. I blamed him for everything that happened between him and my mother which resulted in him trying to deal with the emotions of a teenage girl. I only knew of what little my mother told me of his past but it was enough to hold what frustration I had towards him, it didn't make things easier for him and I knew that.

When my mother dropped the bomb on me that I was going to spend a week of my summer vacation with him, I snapped. Things were said and thrown but at the end I unwillingly packed for a trip I knew would make us both miserable.

"This is bullshit." I muttered as I pulled my bag over my shoulder just as a car pulled into our driveway.

"Language Lia." My mother scolded, she rubbed my shoulder affectionately and whispered in my ear. "Just give him a chance sweetie and be on your best behavior." She warned before smiling up at my father who looked just as uncomfortable as I did.

"Lia." He nodded.

"Jack." I replied before brushing past him and sitting in the passenger seat of the car.

I saw the look on my mother's face that showed she was not pleased with either of us and I just shrugged at her then sent a wave goodbye as my father went to speak with her. I leaned closer to the open window to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I don't know if I can do this, Rachel." Jack said with concern. "She won't cooperate with me."

My mother scoffed at him. "You think it's been easy for me?" She questioned him as she crossed her arms. "She's been getting into trouble lately and she won't listen to me." My mother explained and I couldn't help but keep the smirk off my face. There was a pregnant pause between the two of them.

"What kind of trouble?" He finally asked.

"The racing kind." She said tensely and glared at him as if saying _'this is your fault'_. "You need to speak with her before she gets involved with the wrong kind of people." Jack stood there for a moment with his jaws clenched and the knuckles on his fist slowly turned white. He nodded sternly before turning around and walking towards the car.

"I'll talk to her." He said as he opened the car door and slid inside before waving at my mother who wore a worried expression on her face.

Jack didn't say a word as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the street. I wasn't complaining as I slipped in my ear buds and turned the volume all the way up. We passed through the busy streets of Las Vegas that were not unknown to me. Growing up here I've seen my fair share of interesting people, from hookers, to drug dealers, and the occasional party goers. I knew how it worked in Sin City and it definitely wasn't what it cracked out to be, my father could testify to that.

Suddenly my father pulled out one of the white ear buds that were sitting securely in my ears causing pain to erupt on the left side of my head.

"What the hell?" I complained as I rubbed my ear.

"We need to talk about this racing thing." Jack demanded and I couldn't stop myself from grinning.

"I knew I would always make you proud, _daddy_." I said sarcastically and reached to put the ear bud back in my ear but Jack pulled it through my fingers once again.

"I'm being serious Lia." He ordered and I sighed as I ripped the other ear bud out of my ear to speak to my beloved father.

"_One_ time I go out racing and mom thinks I'm turning into you. It's ridiculous!" I exclaimed and crossed my arms in anger.

"Yeah that's one time too many." Jack growled. "When did you get your driver license anyways?" He asked as he turned a sharp corner causing me to bump into the passenger side door. I huffed in frustration as I rubbed my sore arm and glared back at my father.

"I got it last year when I turned sixteen like every person does when they turn sixteen or have you forgotten?" I inquired quizzically as I grabbed my sketch book out of my bag to occupy myself since Jack took away my head phones.

"Well you won't be driving for awhile after that, I'm tellin' you that much." Jack attempted to scold me and I just snorted at his struggle of parental guidance.

"Don't worry mom is _way _ahead of you." I reassured in hopes he wouldn't try to discipline me again. "Where are we going anyways?" I questioned once I noticed the hundreds of parked taxi cab just outside the Las Vegas strip. The realization didn't dawn on me until we were parked in one of the employee parking spaces. "Oh no way in hell I'm going to work with you again." I asserted but Jack just ignored me and got out of his beater car. I groaned out loud and followed him to wear he punched in.

"Can't you just drop me off at the mall or something?" I asked with insincere politeness. Jack just chuckled and shook his head then proceeded to rub my head with his huge calloused hands.

I scowled up at him. "Nice try." He grinned and greeted Dominic who was in charge of the Yellow cab company in Nevada.

"Well look who it is!" Dominic practically sang. "If it isn't little miss Lia Bruno. How old are you now fifteen?" He asked and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I'm seventeen you dimwit." I snapped he just laughed and clapped his hand on my shoulder.

"Still charming as always." He chortled.

Jack pushed his greasy hand away from me and gave his boss a very menacing look that made chills run down my own spine.

"Don't touch my daughter." He threatened and pushed past Dominic. I quickly followed him while avoiding Dominic's gaze. No matter how grateful I was for his untimely rescue I was still angry at him.

"I don't understand why you can't just drop me off somewhere." I continued to complain as we walked towards his cab.

"Because I don't trust you," He began. "It's pretty simple." Jack explained with a shrug and a shake of his head. My jaw dropped at his accusations of me.

"You won't let me go to the mall because you think I'll sneak off and go _race_?" I questioned fiercely as we both stopped outside his taxi cab as he stumbled with his keys. "How many times did you sneak off when you were with mom to go race!" I exclaimed angrily just as he opened the door to his cab.

"That's not the point Amelia," Jack stated as he glanced back at me. "You're not going anywhere, end of discuss—," He stopped mid rant as he glanced at the black SUV that was blocking the way out for the taxi cabs.

"Hey you guys got to move this thing I gotta go." Jack began to walk towards them just as a man got out.

"Jack!" The man in the black SUV greeted and Jack stopped short with a grave expression on his face. "You don't return phone calls anymore?" He grinned and I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Jack grabbed my arm and tugged me away from the mysterious man I began to protest but he ignored me. Right when he turned around another man popped up from behind us making me jump in surprise.

"Mr. Wolfe thinks you're being rude." The other guy's friend stated coolly, my father looked in between the two men who were quite larger then Jack and realized we were cornered.

"Lia get in the car." He ordered.

"But Jack—," I began to protest once more with a worried expression on my face.

"Get in the car!" Jack said with more force.

I stood there for a moment looking between the two men who were smiling down at me but they weren't genuine smiles. They were the kind that made your skin crawl and I could tell by Jack's expression that he wasn't too happy to see these _friends _of his. For the first time, out of fear, I listened to my father and reluctantly got in the passenger side of the taxi cab.

Once I was inside I leaned over towards the driver side and rolled down the window to hear what they were saying.

"Mr. Wolfe decides when it's the last time, not you Jack." The man in the brown suit explained.

_Who is Mr. Wolfe, one of Jacks previous employers?_ I speculated as I watched the atmosphere outside the taxi cab become even tenser then it originally was.

"He likes you Jackie, he hates seeing you waste your god given talents driving fat tourists up and down the strip." The other man in the grey suit interjected. "What kind of life is that?"

"It's one I'm late for." Jack said and tried to move past him but the other man grabbed his shoulder and I squeaked involuntarily.

Just as quickly as his dark hand clapped onto his shoulder Jack's hand went up and clocked him in the face. His other fist went into the grey suits gut and he forced both of their heads onto the hood of his car. I just stared wide eyed as the entire scene unfolded in front of me.

"Holy shit." I whispered.

"You got a death wish?" Brown Suit grunted while his face was planted on the hood of the taxi cab.

"I drive a cab in Vegas." Jack said mockingly and let go of their neck then opened to door to the taxi.

"You're dead Jack." Grey Suit sneered. "And your pretty daughter too," He pointed at me and I gulped nervously as they both reached the inside of their suit coat pockets.

The _whoop _sound of a police siren stopped their pursuit and ordered them to move out of the way and threatened them with a ticket. I breathed a little easier after the cop's appearance knowing they didn't want the pigs on their backs. The two thugs got back in their car and Jack slide back in the taxi cab. I stared at him with a mixture of respect and complete horror at his actions just now. Jack caught my gaze and coughed uncomfortably.

"Sorry about that." He apologized quickly before starting the car.

"What the _hell _was that?" I blurted out loudly causing him to flinch.

"Those are the type of people you'll get involved with if you keep racing." Jack explained cautiously and I rolled my eyes. "Oh, and don't tell your mother about that please." My father said a moment later.

I groaned out loud. "You're going to get me killed aren't you?"

Just as he was about to answer I turned my head barely a centimeter and saw two figure sitting in the back seat. Considering the situation I was just in and my panic level was at an all time high I screamed. Jack stomped on the breaks of the cab making the car and I jerk forward.

"Where the hell did you come from?" I questioned as I put my hand to my rapidly beating heart.

There sat two blonde teenagers who looked just as frightened at my outburst as I was of finding them casually sitting in the back seat of the car unknowingly.

"O-Outside." The guy said as he looked over at his sister nervously.

"No Shit." I scoffed just as Jack said "Yeah I figured that out on my own. How did you get in the car?" They both pointed at the door.

"Through that portal." The girl answered softly. Jack and I both glanced at each other with seemingly similar confused expressions on our faces.

"You mean the door?" I inquired slowly. The girl nodded and smiled at my confused expression which made me even more baffled.

"I'm Seth, this is my sister Sara we require your transportation services immediately." Seth spoke quickly and efficiently with little emotion in his voice.

"Really, well I require—," Jack began.

"Currency Transaction." Sara interrupted just as her brother pulled out a wad of money.

"Will this amount suffice?" Seth questioned as he looked between my father and I.

I pointed to Jack. "He's the cabbie, not me." He just stared at me blankly before handing my father the cash.

"What did you two do rob a bank?" Jack asked, neither of them answered.

"Is this acceptable Jack Bruno?" Sara inquired.

"How'd you know my name?"

She pointed to the sticker on the glove box that sat in front of me. Something told me that's not how she knew as I stared at the two of them suspiciously. Seth urged my father to go while the cars behind us honked endlessly for blocking the road. He waved them off and started the car and I slowly turned facing the front of the cab.

"Where to?" Jack questioned and I looked back to see Seth looking at what I assumed was his cell phone. "I need an address." Jack stated.

"We must travel in that direction." I saw Sara's finger point towards the road ahead of us that was leading down the Vegas strip.

"I think he needs something more specific." I chuckled at the ridiculous people I see in cabs whenever I'm at work with Jack.

"We must locate latitude 4-0.5-4 cross intersecting longitude—," Seth started but Jack waved his hand while muttering something along the lines of "Not that specific." I shook my head and laughed at the two teenagers.

Jack pointed forward. "We'll stick with that direction."

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Review Please and until next time!

BaltimoreJones


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